Catalyst level indicator



4 Sheets-Sheet l E. V. BERGSTROM CATALYST LEVEL INDICATOR lid/VIEW 2'4 Mar/Jim Aug. 4, 1953 Filed Dec. 9, 1949 OUT Flt/[ 46 761 aur I N V EN TOR. [fir Z'flezgZs/ram BY HGENT 0/? flTTURA EY 1953 E. v. BERGSTROM 2,647,405

CATALYST LEVEL INDICATOR Filed Dec. 9, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M- 4 f g. 5 li 60 6] 6,0 62 J INVEN TOR. 710 1? flags/ram Aug. 4, 1953 E. v. BERGSTROM CATALYST LEVEL INDICATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 9, 1949 RECORD/N6 INSTEUMEA/T Aug. 4, 1953 E. v. BERGSTROM CATALYST LEVEL INDICATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 9, 1949 ticles used may vary over a wide range.

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 Eric V. Bergstrom, Short Hills, N; 'J., assignorj to Socony-Va'cuum Oil Company, Incorporated, a

corporation of New York ApplicationDecembcr 9, 1949, Serial -l\lo.-132,068v

'7 Olaims. (01. 73-296) This invention'is' concerned with moving beds of particle-form solid contact materials which, are contactedwith fiuidreactants. It is more particularly directed toa cyclic system for the conversion of hydrocarbons in the presence of a substantially compact moving column.

In one-such system a particle-form contact material is moved downwardly as a substantially compact column through a reaction zone wherein it is contacted with vaporized hydrocarbons to convert them to lowerboiling hydrocarbons such as gasoline and then through a regeneration zone wherein it is contacted with combustion supportinggas such as air toburn the carbonaceous material formed onthe contact material during the hydrocarbon conversion. This invention relates particularly to a method and means of determining the-height of the catalyst column.

In such catalytic moving bed systems the, catalyst' may partake of the nature of natural or treated clays, synthetic associations of silica, alumina, orsilica and alumina or inert carriers bearingdeposits of-certain -metallic oxides and the like. Theinvention is not considered to'be limited to catalytic conversion systems but is intended to cover thermal conversion systems and heat exchange systems and the like, wherein a substantially inert particle-form solid material flows by gravity as a substantially compact column. In suchsystems the conta'ctmaterial may take the form of particles'of refractory material, or even of metal. The size of the par- For example, in the catalytic crackingiof hydrocarbonoils thecatalyst particles may desirablyfall "within the range ofa'bout'4 to 20 mesh.

. In the catalytic conversion systems'for convert- -ing heavy hydrocarbons to "gasolinesthe flow of downwardlymoving catalyst must be controlled tomaintain a predetermined flow and catalyst column level. By controlling the discharge of catalyst from the columns and byother' means the'system may be maintained-ma substantially balanced condition. However, many uncontrollable factors cause, the level of the catalyst columns to surge or the system todrift to an unbalanced condition. It is essential that a method and means be'available for checking the level ofthe catalyst columns in order*to' determine if equilibrium conditions are being'maintained in the moving catalyst system.

Thep'rior art shows a number ofcatalyst 'level i-ndioatorsfallof whichhave one or more defects whic-h make them unsu'itablefifor the "purpose. Forxa pl in-onsmo e a bah ow r per dically to determinethe catalyst level.

In another, a screw type propeller is continuously rotated such that it seeks the level of the cata lyst. Other more complicated installations are shown by the Swedish'Patent No. 76,114. All of these designs have many moving parts which break-down or jam in the catalyst, and-they require continuous maintenance and often give erroneous readings.

A major object of this invention isthe provision of a level indicator in a system 'whereincontact material is contacted asa substantially compact moving column with fluid reactants.

Another object of'this invention istoprovi'de a level indicator for measuring the level 'of-par ticle-form material'in a bin or hopper.

A further object of thisinvention is -to-provide means of measuring'th'e height of parti-clefo'rm material in an enclosed vessel in'whi-ch nomoving parts are utilized.

These and other objects ofthe'invention'will be made apparent by the following discussion of the invention. The drawingswhich are apart of the specification, are referred to in this'discussion by appropriate numbers. In these draw: ings, Figure'l is an elevational viewshowing the general arrangement of'a cyclic hydrocarbon conversion system of the type to which this'inven t1on pertains; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the surge chamber located in the upper section of a regeneration vessel; Figure-3 is a cross-sect onal view of the catalyst troughs ofthis invention, taken on the plane 33 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional planview of the surge hopper taken on the plane 44 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View showing the application of the invention to a circular catalyst storage hopper; Figure 6 is a plan view of the storage hopper taken on the plane 6-6 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is another cross-sectional view of a modified form of catalyst troughs; Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of a-storage bin'showing another embodiment of the invention; Figure 9 is a vertical view of a portion of the embodimentshown on Figure 8 taken on plane 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10-is' a typical calibration curve-forthe (Tyler Screen Analysis), passes from a, supply hopper l8 downwardly through an elongated gravity feed leg I i into the upper end of the reaction vessel E2. The catalyst moves downwardly through the vessel !2 as a substantially compact column while being contacted with hydrocarbon vapors introduced from the stock preparation system is of conventional type into the lower section of the vessel 12 via the conduit [4. The gaseous hydrocarbon products pass from the upper section of the vessel [2 through the conduit 15 to the product recovery system IS. The escape of hydrocarbons through the feed leg l is prevented by maintaining a blanket of an inert seal gas, such as steam or flue gas, within the upper end of the vessel 12. The seal gas is introduced through the conduit l1. Spent catalyst, bearing a carbonaceous deposit, is withdrawn from the lower end of vessel 12, through the conduit it at a suitable rate, controlled by the valve E9. The catalyst is purged substantially free of gaseous hydrocarbons before being withdrawn from the vessel l2 by means of an inert purge gas such as steam or flue gas, introduced at 28. The spent catalyst passes to the conveyor 29 by which it is conducted to the sloping supply duct 2| which supplies catalyst to the upper section of the regeneration vessel 22.

Regeneration Vessel 22 comprises an upper catalyst surge chamber 23 and a communicating lower burning chamber 24. Air is introduced to the burning chamber 24 near its lower end through the conduit 25. The air moves upwardly through the column of gravitating catalyst particles in the burning chamber 24, burning the carbonaceous deposits on the surface of the catalyst. The flue gas formed by the burning is withdrawn from the vessel near the upper end of the chamber 24 through the conduit 26. A suitable heat exchange fluid is introduced into heat exchanger tubes (not shown) within the chamber 24 via the conduit 21. The fluid passes through the heat exchanger tubes to remove the excess heat of contaminant combustion from the catalyst and is withdrawn from the tubes via the conduit 28. Regenerated catalyst passes from the lower end of the chamber 23 via the concluit 29 t the conveyor 3| by which it is conducted to the downwardly sloping duct 32, supplying the hopper I ii. The conveyors 29 and 3! may be of any suitable type adapted to transfer particle-form solids at elevated temperatures without excessive attrition, or a suitable gas lift may be used in place of the mechanical elevator. Both gas lifts and continuous bucket elevators have been found to be satisfactory for this purpose. It will be understood that the reactor and regenerator vessels may vary somewhat from the particular construction described hereinabove. For example, the regenerator may be of. the multistage type comprising a vertical series of alternating burning and cooling zones, each burning zone having a separate gas inlet and outlet and each cooling zone having a separate set of heat transfer tubes therein and separate external manifold associated with said heat transfer tubes. And also the arrangement of the vessels may be varied from that described above. For example, the regeneration vessel may be located above the reaction vessel requiring only one catalyst lift or elevator, or the reaction and regeneration zones may be separated compartments of one elongated vessel.

The vertical rod 33 passes through the top of the regenerator 22 into the surge chamber, cone necting with apparatus described hereinafter. The rod applies a force to the bellows 34. The bellows is filled with a suitable hydraulic incompressible fluid and the force is thereby transmitted through the conduit 35, by means of the fluid, to the indicator. The indicator is calibrated to read in feet above a certain datum, thereby indicating the height of the catalyst column in the surge chamber 23.

Referring to Figure 2, the method of varying the pull on the rod 33 in accordance with the height of catalyst column in the surge chamber will be disclosed. Catalyst is fed from the sloping supply duct 2| into a feeding box 3'! located in the center and upper section of the surge chamber 23. The box is supported in position by rods 38 depending from the roof of the vessel. Within the box is located a large central outlet conduit 39 and a series of smaller outlet conduits 40, through which catalyst is fed to the outer regions of the vessel. By proper selection of central conduit area to smaller conduit area the angle of the catalyst level at the top of the catalyst column can be controlled and maintained constant.

The vertical tube 4| surrounds the rod 33 preventing catalyst from coming in contact with the rod 33. The members 42, 43 and 44, 45 form essentially superimposed pairs of troughs. The outer or lower trough members 42 and 44 are fastened rigidly at both ends to the tube 4! and support rod 46. The enclosed or upper trough members 43 and 45 are pivoted for rotation by means of the pin connected lugs 4'1, 48. The other ends are pin connected to the rod 33, adapted to oscillate as the rod 33 is raised or lowered. Although the inner or upper troughs are so pivoted that they are free to oscillate, it is important to notice at this point that substantially no movement of the inner trough is in tended. Only the force on the rod 33 changes with the change in the amount of catalyst in the inner trough. This in turn varies with the height of the catalyst level in the surge hopper. The force on the rod 33 is counterbalanced by an equal and opposite force, thus keeping the inner trough substantially static, and giving a measure which may be correlated with the height of the catalyst column. The catalyst in the surge hopper passes downwardly through the connecting conduits 49 into the regeneration zone 24 located therebelow.

Referring now to Figure 3, the outer trough member is divided into two sections bolted together, an upper section 50 and a lower section 5|. This trough is so constructed to enable the inner trough member to be installed. The upper section 50 of the outer trough forms a cover with a slot opening in the top. The cover reduces the catalyst load transmitted to the inner trough member 52. The catalyst fills the inner trough as indicated, the angle of the catalyst surface being that of the angle of repose of the catalyst. The inner trough has a slot opening in the bottom, permitting the catalyst to be withdrawn therethrough. The catalyst surface indicated at the outlet of the inner trough is also at the angle of repose of the catalyst. The catalyst is withdrawn from the apparatus through the slot opening in the bottom of the outer or lower trough. It is seen that the shape of the outer trough member prevents catalyst from packing in between the inner and outer troughs, thereby preventing the transfer of catalyst weight to the inner trough. The design also prevents (Tyler Screen Analysis) ition curve obtained-from the test data,'showing lected range.

each end'in'suitable bearings 62, 62. 'ings"62,62"are supported on a fixed table-63, which is fastened to the cover 64 of the hopper amount "of the" weight of the catalyst column above'the opening. Likewise, confining ofthe .catalystacross the outlet slot opening in thebotitom *ofthe inner'trough prevents any substantial amount ofthecatalyst in the trough from re- "ceivingsupport "from the column below the innertrough. The readings of column height are notaffecte'd substantially therefore by the fact that the columnmaybe rising, falling, or static.

A set of these troughs having the general crosssectional'shape shown on Figure '3 wer tested using commercial bead .catalyst of 5-20 mesh Figure is a calibrasmooth correlation betweenthe indicated catalyst' weight in the inner trough (the pull on rod 33) with the height of the catalyst column above a. datum level.

The tests showed that thereadingswere notxmaterially affected by the fact that -the catalystwas rising, falling, or stationary,

"Figure '4"'shows the location of'the apparatus in the surge chamber '23 shown on Figure 2.

"The member '55 is an inverted V-shaped cover located above'the'trough slots to prevent catalyst'from bouncing into the troughs and thereby giving false readings.

Z'Referring to'Fi'gure5, the invention is'shown appliedto a circular feed hopper, such as that located above the reactor l2 of'Figure 1. For

convenience, only one set'of troughs is shown in this view. However, any number of sets can be used-one above the other, depending upon the height of catalyst to be measured. When using more'than one set of troughs, the units are so spaced and set at such an angle, with respect to'the angleo'f the catalyst column surface, that when the catalyst is emptied from the inner trough -of one set, because of falling catalyst 1' level, it will start to empty from the inner trough ofthe' set located therebelow. By this procedure,

a continuous reading is obtained over any se- The embodiment shown in Figure 5 discloses supporting both ends of the inner trough 52 on support rods'33, pivoted at both ends of'the trough. The rods 33are attache'd'to-eccentrics'BO, 69, which are-in turn attached toa rotatable rod 6|. The rod BI is supported at The'bear- It, by means of the support members $5,155.

Referring to Figure 6, which shows a plan view of the hopper H) from a position above the hopper, a platform balance 66 is shown for balancing 'the torque applied to the rod 6| by the weight of the partially filled inner trough 52. It is seen'that' one of the eccentrics 60 is part'of-an elongated balancebeam. The adjustable counconditions. It is seen that there is substantially no movement'of. any of the parts of the apparatus .of' this invention.

.iFigure'I discloses another form of trough constructionin which the connecting 'boltsare'all located on one side of'the outer trough. The position of theinverte'dv shaped protecting cover,-

tom. Theouter"member "|3 is rigidly-attached to the vessel'or bin '14 and has downwardly sloping conduits-15. The outlets of the conduits 15'are within the region confined by the'chutes I2, but do not contact thechutes. Contact material surrounding" theouter member passes through the conduits l5into the-chutes and then into the inner chamber H of the inner member ID. At the bottom of the inner member is located an outlet-conduit 16 which feeds the contact materiallback. to the bin or hopper. The'rod- I1 is connected to the inner'member 10 by means of the pin 18 and lugs-19, 19. The bellows type chamber'80, located above the hopper 14, is filled with a non-compressible fluid through the conduit 8|. The. conduit is then sealed by closing the valve 82. The rod 11- is attached to the upper end wall of the bellowsand transmits a force to the fiuid,'the amount' depending upon how full the inner member is" with catalyst. This force is transmittedby the'fluid through the conduit 83- to suitable'pressure recording means 84, shown diagrammatically. The pressure recorder can be calibrated to read directly in feet, giving .a direct reading. level indicator having a compact design, and also having the advantage of substantially no moving parts.

The Figure 9 shows'a side view of the apparatus or Figure 8. The conduits15 are shown of rectangular cross section. However, other shapes couIdbe used with equal success. Al-

.on Figures38 and 9 was'found to give excellent results when the conduits 15 were placed on levels 3. inches apart. At normal discharge from the regenerator 22 and no feed to the hopper'23, the indicator showed a' slight movement every 17 :seconds, asthe catalyst drained from each respective chute'lZ.

Although-the. apparatus has been described in connectionlwith measuring the level of a catalyst column in a .moving vbed. hydrocarbon conversion system, it is clear that it could .be used with equabsuccesstomeasure-the height of a column efparticle-form materialwother: than commercial catalyst. The invention isnot intended to be limited to thensystem disclosed, but only by following claims.

*What 1iS claimed i .is

.1. In combination a vertical vessel adapted for downward. movement therethrough of a substantially compact bed .of particle-form solid materiaL means located abovethe bed,for feedingr-solid m-aterial tothe bed, at leastone pair -.:of superimposed trough members open on top sand-located sat-'least partiarlly below the surface of' theibedyxsaid trough memberseach having a -long-itudinal .islot eat the -.bottom thereof, .said

trough members being located at an acute angle with respect to the horizon, the lower trough member having an upper section which surrounds the upper trough member and provides a cover therefor, said upper section possessing a slot in the uppermost portion above the upper trough member and substantially aligned with the slot in the upper trough member, means for supporting the lower trough member in a rigid position, pivot means for supporting the uppertrough member at both ends, movable support members attached to the pivot means at each end of the upper trough member, and a weighing device supporting said movable support men-- bers adapted to indicate the height or the coinpact bed of particle-form material.

2. In combination a vertical vessel adapted for downward movement therethrough of a substan tially compact bed of particle-form solid material, means located above the bed for feeding solid material to the bed, at least one pair of super-imposed trough members open on top and located at least partially below the surface of the bed, said trough members having a longitudinal slot at the bottom thereof, said trough members being located at an acute angle with respect to the horizon, the lower trough member having an upper section which surrounds the upper trough member and provides a cover therefor, said upper section possessing a slot in the uppermost portion above the upper trough member and substantially aligned with the slot in the upper trough. member, means for supporting the lower trough member in a rigid position, pivot means for supporting the upper trough member at both ends, the pivot means at one end be c supported in a fixed position, a movable suppor-u mber attached to the pivot means at the other end, and a Weighing device supporting said movable support member adapted to indicate the height of the substantially compact bed of particle-rorm material.

3. In combination a vertical vessel adapted for downward movement therethrough of a substantially compact bed of particle-form solid material, means located above the bed for feeding solid material to the bed, at least one pair of super-imposed trough members open on top and located at least partially below the surface of the bed, said trough mrnebers having a longitudinal slot at the bottom thereof, the lower trough member having an upper section which surrounds the upper trough member and provides a cover therefor, said upper section possessing a slot in the uppermost portion above the upper trough member and substantially aligned with the slot in the upper trough member, meansfor supporting the lower trough member in a rigid position, pivot means for supporting the upper trough member at both ends, the pivot means at one end being supported in a fixed position, a movable support member attached to the pivot means at the other end, and a Weighing device attached to said movable support member adapted to indicate the height of the substantially compact bed of particle-form material.

4. In combination a vertical vessel adapted for downward movement therethrough of a substan-- tially compact bed of particle-form solid material, means located above the bed for feeding solid material to the bed, a vertical enclosed chamber rigidly fixed within said vessel, a series of downwardly and inwardly directed conduits projected through the wall of said rigidly-fixed chamber at equally spaced increments along the vertical length of the chamber, a movable enclosed chamber located Within said rigidly-fixed chamber, funnel-shaped trough members located along the vertical outside length of said movable chamber at equally spaced increments and conducting with the interior of said movable chamber, the outlet of the downwardly directed conduits being adapted to feed particle-form material into the trough members which are located below the conduits, means defining an outlet in the bottom of said inner chamber and means defining an outlet in the bottom of said outer chamber, movable means for supporting the inner chamber, and a weighing device attached to said movable means adapted to indicate the downward pull of said movable inner chamber.

5. Apparatus for measuring the height of a column of particle-form material which comprises an outer vertical vessel, a series of downwardly and inwardly sloping conduits projected through the side wall of said outer vessel at equally spaced locations along the vertical length thereof, an inner vertical vessel located within said outer vessel, a series of chutes attached to the outside wall of said inner vessel at equally spaced locations along the vertical length thereof and communicating with the interior of said inner vessel, said sloping conduits adapted to feed particle-form material into said chutes, means defining an outlet from said inner vessel located in the bottom thereof and means defining an outlet from said outer vessel located in the bottom thereof, means for rigidly supporting the outer vessel in fixed position, movable means for supporting said inner vessel, and a weighing device supporting said movable means adapted to indicate the downward pull of said inner vessel th particle-form material located therein.

6. Apparatus for measuring the height of a column of particle-form material in an enclosed vessel comprising a weighing rod extending downwardly into said vessel, a receptacle at least partially suspended from said weighing rod, said receptacle extending through a vertical portion of said vessel and occupying only a small portion of its cross section, said receptacle being open upwardly at a plurality of levels for receipt of solid flow from within said vessel and having an opening in its bottom for discharge of solids, a shield member arranged loosely around said receptacle and adapted to shield it from solid flow except for the locations or solid entry to and discharge from said receptacle, a recording instrument, a weight measuring device supporting said rod from its upper end and members operatively connecting said device to said recording instrument.

'7. Apparatus for measuring the height of a column of particle-form material in an enclosed vessel comprising a weighing rod extending downwardly into said vessel, a receptacle at least partially suspended from said weighing rod, said receptacle extending through a vertical portion of said vessel and occupying only a small portion or" its cross section, said receptacle being open upwardly at a plurality of levels for receipt of solid flow from within said vessel and having an opening in its bottom for dischar e of solids, a shield member arranged loosely around said receptacle and adapted to shield it from solid fiow except for the locations of solid entry to and discharge from said receptacle, and a weight measuring device supporting said weighing rod.

ERIC V. BERGSTROM.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Bigelow et a1. Jan. 3, 1937 Sinclair et a1. Apr. 9, 1946 Hagerbaumer Jan. 4, 1949 Kehrer Nov. 14, 1950 10 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 825,007 France Nov. 27, 1937 908,207 France Aug. 20, 1945 OTHER REFERENCES Measurment of solids in T. C. C. process," Kelley, The Petroleum Engineer, September, 10 1945, pages 136, 138, 142. 

